Sunday, March 31, 2013

I've been making deviled eggs for years. My very first batch was made from a recipe in my first cookbook, "Betty Crocker's New Boys and Girls Cookbook." Simple Simon Deviled Eggs. I remember my family liking them.

I think my current deviled eggs recipe isn't that much different. And people still like them. This year I decided to make them a bit differently. I didn't mess with the ingredients (if it's not broken, don't fix it, right?) but I did change the way they look. And they turned out perfectly!

Easter Deviled Chicks

Ingredients:

12 hard boiled eggs

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon mustard

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

black food coloring

small piece of carrot

Directions:

I made baked hard-boiled eggs this time. They were very easy - put the eggs in muffin tins (or straight on the rack), place in the over and bake at 325F for 30 minutes.

When the eggs are done, fill a large bowl with ice water and move the eggs into the bowl.

Peel the eggs and dye the peeled eggs to the color you like. I made some pink and green and blue and yellow and purple and orange.

Pat them dry with a paper towel. Carefully cut a zig-zag edge cut around each egg as below.

Remove the yolks and add to a bowl. Mix the yolks with the remaining ingredients, stirring until well combined.

Place a rounded spoonful of the yolk mixture into the bottom half of the egg white. Place the other half on top so that it resembles a hatching chick.

Use a toothpick and food coloring to put two black eyes on each chick, and use a small piece of carrot for the beak.

Saturday, March 30, 2013

My niece has been visiting on her Spring Break from Cal Poly - and it is her last Spring Break as she is graduating in June! We've had a great time catching up with her, and she had the fabulous idea to make a savory shortbread for dinner the other night.

We've got rosemary and thyme growing in our garden, so we used those. A little salt and pepper as well as some sugar and a bit of Parmesan... and voila! Shortbread for dinner!

Rosemary and Thyme Shortbread

Ingredients:

1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

1/4 cup sugar

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons water

3 ounces grated Parmesan (optional)

Directions:

Place the butter in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment and mix on medium-low until creamy.

Add the salt, pepper and herbs, stirring until evenly combined.

Add the sugar and flour and blend until thoroughly mixed. Add 2 tablespoons of water to help bring the dough together.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Press the dough into a 9 inch pie pan or 9 inch square pan.

Sprinkle Parmesan over the top if using (we used it for only half of the shortbread to see which we liked better).

Bake for approximately 22-25 minutes.

Cut while still warm, but cool prior to serving. If you can resist.

These are fantastic. Salty and sweet, herbaceous and buttery, with a hint of pepper. And the smell that fills your house as they are baking is out of this world! Thanks for bringing this wonderful idea Chelle!

I'm planning lemon and basil next (yum!). What herb would you try in a shortbread?

Friday, March 29, 2013

This has been a crazy crazy week. Lots of family in town, lots of crises and crisis aversion going on. But even in the midst of a crazy week, we still need to eat. And that's where my canning over the summer has really helped.

We needed a quick dessert, but I also wanted something that would make us feel like home, and blueberry pie seemed like just the answer. Partially because I like blueberry pie (my grandpa's favorite too), and partially because I have jars of blueberry pie filling that I canned last year. Because I had that, I was able to make a quick batch of my favorite pie crust, fill it with the blueberry pie filling and bake it in less than an hour. Homemade pie in under an hour - with almost no cleanup. Perfect!

2. Mix flour and salt in medium bowl. Cut in butter and shortening, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost leaves side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary).

3. Divide in half and roll each, using floured rolling pin, into a rough circle, approximately 12 1/2-inch.

6. Using a cookie cutter, cut several figures out of the other rolled circle. This allows the pie to vent as it cooks. {I used a duck cookie cutter - cute, isn't it?} Carefully place the rolled circle on top of the pie.

7. Crimp the edges to seal in the pie filling. You can also put the cutout pieces on top of the pie for decoration.

8. Bake 40 to 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown. After 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning.

Now you've got a delicious pie - without a lot of work. My grandpa would have loved it.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

I just love my crockpot. I can put a meal together in the morning and have lots of time all day to do other things. And lately, my life has been so crazy that having dinner under control is a wonderful thing!

I made this beef stew that is reminiscent of and old-fashioned Irish Stew, but with a bit of a twist. See what you think:

Remove the beef from the saucepan with tongs, leaving the drippings in the pan. Add the beef to the slow cooker. Add the tomato paste and cayenne pepper to the saucepan and continue to cook over medium heat.

Add the beer and stir to combine.

Pour the liquid mixture over the beef and vegetables in the slow cooker, and stir.

The mixture will cook down and combine, so you only want to see that the sauce cover the beef and vegetables a bit.

Cook on low for 6 - 8 hours. 30 minutes before serving, boil the potatoes until tender. Drain and roughly mash the potatoes with the milk and butter.

Serve in a bowl - potatoes on one side and stew on the other.

I love the flavor that the beer gives to the stew. I used an IPA which had a lot of herb-y and hoppy flavors, which gave a wonderful depth to this stew. And the carrots and parsnips add a lovely sweetness. Just delicious - I hope you try it!

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

What a fun party last week! I chose Kaylee from Couponing and Cooking's Homemade Peep Cakes as my feature this week. I just love peeps, and cake, and I also shop the Target seasonal sales.... this recipe is just made for me!

We also had a giveaway last week. Picked randomly, the winner is <drumroll>

#29 - Tieghan from Half Baked Harvest!</drumroll> Please send me your mailing address and I'll get that out to you right away.

Here's what I'll be giving away this week:

To enter, link up your recipes, crafts and ideas. And for each link you add, you will get one entry. And if you send over a friend who follows me and adds a comment telling me who sent them, you get an extra entry!

Only a few guidelines:

Please share as many links as you like, but only if you haven't shared them here before.

Add a link back to Tuesday's Table (or grab a button above!) so others can join in the fun.

Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Great party last week - and the giveaway winner is <drumroll>#41 - Auntie Em from Auntie Em's Guide to Life!</drumroll> Please send me your mailing address and I'll get that out to you right away.

That was fun - let's do it again! Here's what I'll be giving away this week:

To enter, link up your recipes, crafts and ideas. And for each link you add, you will get one entry. And if you send over a friend who follows me and adds a comment telling me who sent them, you get an extra entry!

Only a few guidelines:

Please share as many links as you like, but only if you haven't shared them here before.

Add a link back to Tuesday's Table (or grab a button above!) so others can join in the fun.